


What Even Is the 'Core of a Cottage?'

by snailparty1



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Bisexual Disaster Luz Noceda, Camping, Cottagecore, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay Disaster Amity Blight, i like frogs okay let me live, luz noceda can cook
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26710303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snailparty1/pseuds/snailparty1
Summary: After hearing Luz lament about her desire to be 'cottage-core,' whatever that is, Amity invites her to stay at her parent's old cabin on the shore of Lake Eerie. However, maybe nature on the Boiling Isles isn't as romantic as it is in the human world.orLumity Cottagecore Fic :)
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 10
Kudos: 77





	What Even Is the 'Core of a Cottage?'

“I’m still not sure I get it, Luz,” Amity sighed, confused and slightly dejected.

“What’s there not to get?” Luz asked, a wide smile on her face as she propped her elbows on the school lunch table. “It’s just an idealized way of living, at least back home.”

“What even is the core of a cottage? A wood stove or something?”

Luz let out a quick laugh, and Amity looked away, slightly embarrassed. “No, the ‘cottage’ is the core -- of, like, your aesthetic. It just means you like the idea of living in a little house in the middle of nowhere, collecting little trinkets and rocks and stuff, and just experiencing nature all the time.”

Amity frowned, “That sounds quite lonely.”

“It certainly doesn’t have to be!” Luz added, still smiling brightly and casually poking at her lunch, “Me living at the Owl House pretty much fits into the ‘cottagecore’ category. We live in the middle of the woods, everything’s covered in Eda’s trash-treasures, and there’s always three people around. Doesn’t sound so lonely to me.”

“If living in the Owl House fits the aesthetic, why were you talking about how badly you wanted to be ‘cottagecore’? Aren’t you already?” Now Amity was getting really confused.

Luz ran a hand through her short hair, and her face was easy to read as she thought deeply about an answer. “The Owl House is nice and all, but it’s not my kind of cottagecore.” She sighed wistfully, “I always wanted my own little cabin on a lake, totally surrounded by forest. Somewhere quiet, and somewhere I can be as close to self sustaining as possible. The Owl House is always just so… loud, y’know?”

Amity nodded. Yes, she knew far too well how chaotic the Owl House was.

The human continued. “And I guess you could call us self sustaining, but we sorta steal a lot of stuff to keep us alive,” she chuckled as she scratched the back of her neck with a sheepish smile. “I just want peace, I guess. To live morally, and how I want to live.”

The mint-haired witchling waited for a moment to make sure Luz was finished speaking before she said anything. “My parents had a phase like that when they were young, I think. They bought a little shack in a forest and stayed there for a summer, near Lake Eerie. I think we still own it, but we haven’t been since I was little.”

Luz’s eyes brightened as she shot out of her chair. “You have a secret woodland cottage you never told me about?!”

A flush covered the witchling’s face, “I haven’t thought about it in a long time. You just reminded me, and I thought maybe you’d…” Amity gulped, “like to go there with me? I mean, not anytime soon, you’re probably busy--”

“I would love to!” Luz exclaimed, practically jumping up and down. “Bump’s closing school all next week for the repairs,”--she was, of course, referring to the sewer demon that had torn up all of the pipes in the building, flooding the basement and stinking up everywhere else--”it’d be the perfect time to go!”

“Next week?” Amity repeated meekly. She needed at least a month to emotionally prepare herself, but how could she say no to Luz? “That sounds...great. I’ll talk to my parents, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

The human pumped an excited fist into the air just as the bell shrieked, signalling an early release. “I’m gonna go home and pack! Just show up at the Owl House whenever you’re ready, ‘cuz I’m a quick pack-er.” 

Amity couldn’t choke out a single word, only nodding and giving an enthusiastic double thumbs-up (although her hands were trembling slightly). Luz waved over her shoulder as she excitedly made her way down the hall, jumping to click her heels together just before leaving Amity’s sight. The witchling smiled to herself--this could be a nice vacation. 

\-----

Clenching her jaw tightly, Amity entered the clearing that contained the Owl House. The enormous backpack she carried was wreaking havoc on her spine, but she pressed on, dreading her unavoidable encounter with the house demon.

“Hoot-hoot! Is that someone important coming?” A shrill voice called out from about 10 feet in front of her. Before the witchling could react, the tubular body of Hooty slithered its way toward her at a frightening pace, halting only after he was so close she had leaned back slightly. “Hoot! False alarm, it’s just Amity!”

She frowned in distaste, but otherwise ignored the demon’s remark. He slowly receded back into the door as Amity approached. Finally, Amity was face to face with the door, and Hooty, who refused to open it. “Let me in, Hooty,” Amity sighed.

“Hmm, I’m not sure if--” the owl began, but the door suddenly flung completely open, smashing his face into the side of the house. He let out a pained ‘hoot’ as Luz now stood in the doorway, a smile as dangerously blinding as always.

“Amity!” she greeted happily, but slowly her smile withered as she observed the witchling. Amity squirmed under her gaze, before the human finally added, “You’re bringing all that?”

Now self-conscious, Amity felt a blush tint her cheeks. A quick scan of Luz revealed she didn’t have much on her; durable clothes, a hearty fanny pack, and a bag that hung loosely down her back. She gave Luz a quizzical look, urging her to elaborate.

“The whole point of this trip is to become one with nature,” Luz said as she removed a small gas burner from the side of Amity’s pack, “so we don’t need much. Here, come in, I’ll help you sort through it. It shouldn’t take long.” With one quick motion, she grabbed Amity’s wrist, pulling her inside of the Owl House. 

Amity had always liked the interior of the Owl House, not that she’d ever admit it. It was small and cozy, packed with furniture and with items on every surface. Small candles dotted the whole house, illuminating it with a warm glow while providing a comfortable heat. She obediently followed behind Luz as she was pulled to the center of the room, where the human took a seat on the rug, urging the other to do the same. Without a word, Amity slid her backpack off and placed it between the two of them.

The process was rather easy, as the green-haired girl simply sat back and watched Luz evaluate each item in her bag. Occasionally, she would ask for clarification on an item, or for Amity’s justification for bringing it, but it was an otherwise wordless process. At the end, Amity’s backpack sat slack against her, a large pile of items left discarded by the couch. As Amity stood, Luz quickly ran to grab a blanket, which she threw over the pile. A moment later she attached a note, “DO NOT SELL - AMITY’S STUFF,” and below it, in smaller writing was, “be back in a week! :3” Hoisting her own bag onto her shoulder, Luz took one final sweeping glance of the room, finishing her movement on Amity. She cocked her head to the side and smiled, “Ready to go have the best week of our lives?”

The witchling, still doubtful of the wonders of ‘cottagecore,’ gave a hopeful smile. “Ready.”

After saying a few ‘goodbye’-s and ‘love you’-s, Luz followed Amity out of the Owl House. Map in hand, the two were ready to make their way to Lake Eerie. 

\-----

The journey itself was surprisingly relaxed. Usually, the Boiling Isles will throw everything it has at wayward travellers, but it was as if the Titan had shown mercy on them. The only creatures they saw along the way were small and harmless, such as little frog-like creatures that croaked in a variety of tones. Luz was fascinated by them, and after failing to convince Amity that she could coordinate them into reciting a song, was beyond distraught to leave them behind.

Amity was able to use the trek to the cabin to show off her botanical skills. Her plant magic didn’t hold a candle to Willow’s, but she did have a surprising knowledgeability about plants of all kinds. She showed Luz how to discern the delicious and rare Red Speckled Mushroom from the lethal Red Spotted Mushroom. Using a pen as a pointer, she showed the ever-vigilant human the distinct patterns of the mushrooms; 3 white spots in a column was deadly, but 2 was delicious. 

Luz nodded. “‘Cuz there are 3 letters in bad! 3 spots, 3 letters, b-a-d.” 

That had gotten a chuckle out of Amity, until she spotted Luz attempting to eat a brown mushroom with 2 white spots.

Before too long, the trees began to thin slightly, and the air began to smell fresh and moist. Amity kept her pace neutral, but she could tell Luz was dying to rush ahead and find the cabin as quickly as possible. With a sigh, she pointed to the silhouette that was now barely visible between the trees. The human made an excited noise, bouncing on her heels as she shot a questioning glance to Amity. The witchling offered a small smile, and softly jerked her head towards the building. Luz bolted ahead as quickly as her feet would carry her, and Amity adopted a light jog in an attempt to keep up.

Luz reached the stoop first and stopped in her tracks, seemingly losing her breath at the sight of the building. As Amity caught up, she looked at the building with a grimace.

The structure’s shape was just as she had remembered it, a simple, single-story, L-shaped home, but everything else was...wrong. The walls, once a polished cobblestone, were now tinted green with moss and had ivy growing in many of the cracks between stones. Most of the windows were obscured by plant debris, sometimes dotted with flowers. Amity took particular note of the roof; once made of red tiles in a distinct pattern, it was now a nearly smooth sheet of green moss. Behind the building itself, Amity could barely see the dock leading to the lake was now stained green with algae, and the occasional board was missing.

“Well, this is...not how I remembered it,” Amity began, trying to carefully word an apology to Luz for making her walk all day, only to end up at some dirty, mossy shack. Before she could finish, however, Luz came out of her stupor, uttering one word;

“Beautiful.”

Amity had not expected that. Her face flushed and her eyes shot to the human, and she was not sure if she was relieved or not to see the girl’s eyes locked onto the building. 

“Amity, this is amazing. Like, wow. I’ve never seen anywhere like this except in my dreams.” She finally tore her gaze away from the edifice and looked to the witchling. “How old is this place?”

Still surprised, Amity was struggling to find words. “Oh, you know, only like 50-ish years. But, I mean, it was clean when I came as a kid. Nobody’s been here in years. And I think Lake Eerie has some kind of magic that makes plants grow quickly. And animals too, sometimes. But only if they’ve been there for a while -- in the water, I mean.” She caught herself rambling and forced herself to stop talking, although Luz’s eyes never left hers. Adding one final thought, Amity asked quickly, “Did you want to go in?”

“More than anything I’ve ever wanted!” Luz looked like she was about to explode.

Moving to the door, Amity brushed the dirt off the lock before turning the key. The door opened about halfway before the ivy growing across it brought it to a halt. It was more than enough though, and both girls squeezed their way into the cottage.

Once again, Amity was surprised. The whole house smelled a little wet and musty, though not unbearably so. To her left was the little kitchen, but it was coated in a thick layer of dust, the small footprints of an animal tracking through it. To the right was the living room, which was just a single couch and a small table. The couch was covered in small pieces of plant debris, and the table has even more animal footprints in the dust. At the end of the living area was a door leading to the only other room; the bedroom. 

“So natural!” Luz exclaimed, and Amity couldn’t tell if she was making a joke or not. Luz walked slowly, turning in a full circle as she observed the interior. She moved to sit on the couch, carefully setting her bag aside as she flopped onto it. Immediately from within the cushions, a shrill squeak sounded, and Luz hopped back onto her feet with a startled yell. 

From the crack between the couch cushions emerged a small animal, the size and shape of a large rat, but with the nose of a mole and 6 legs. It moved quickly, bouncing around the room, frantically searching for an exit. Amity held in a shriek as she readied a spell at the animal.

“ _¡Qué lindo!_ ” the human cried as she chased it around the house, only a few feet behind the creature at any given time. Amity was desperately trying to lock her spell onto it, but with Luz so close, she feared she’d hit her.

“Luz, don’t touch it!” Amity screamed, “It’ll probably give you a disease or something!”

Luz didn’t bother answering, too caught up in the chase to acknowledge what the other girl had said. The animal seemed to have remembered its escape route, and it suddenly darted into the kitchen, where it squeezed through a hole under the wood-burning stove to freedom. Luz, however, slammed full force into the stove, falling backwards with a loud clang. Laying flat on her back, she gave a shaky thumbs-up, choking out, “I’m okay,”

Amity rolled her eyes, moving to the kitchen and helping Luz to her feet. “What even was that thing? I told you to leave it alone!”

Luz only gave her a small smile and a dismissive wave. “I ignore a lot of things you tell me to do.”

Just then, a strange sound came from Luz’s bag. Both girls’ heads snapped to the living room. It had been a single, monotone note, that unmistakably came from the pack.

Amity slowly turned to Luz. Two more notes came from the bag, both of a different pitch. The human only offered an apologetic smile. “They were so cute, Amity, I couldn’t just _leave_ them!”

“I told you to leave the Xylophrogs where you found them!” the witchling shouted, a playful smile on her lips.

Luz let out a sigh of relief as she saw Amity wasn’t actually angry. “These ones like me though! They came with me of their own free will, I swear!” She moved over to the bag and unzipped it, allowing the three frogs from within to hop onto the warped wooden floor. “And look, this one looks just like you!” Luz smiled, holding up a pale-green Xylophrog. It gave a single, high-pitched croak.

“Ew,” Amity said with a smile. “Also, you probably shouldn’t tell people they look like frogs. It could come off as mean.”

Luz’s eyes went wide as she dropped the frog into her fanny pack. “ _Ay, no,_ Amity! You don’t look like a frog! I was kidding! It was just the frog was green, and you’re both so cute--” she rambled, panicking slightly as she scooped up the other two frogs into her fanny pack.

“Luz!” Amity cut her off, blushing. “I know what you meant. Thank you.”

“Whew, that’s a relief!” Luz smiled, wiping faux sweat from her brow. She looked down into her fanny pack, “Did you guys have anything to say?”

The three frogs popped their heads out. The green one gave a high pitched croak, while the blue and purple ones sat silently.

“Aw, she likes you, Amity!” the human smiled, petting the frog gently.

“Cute,” Amity deadpanned, “but if that thing ever gets close to me, I’m sending it to another dimension.” She drew a spell circle in front of her to prove her point. The Xylophrogs quickly ducked into the pack.

“Hey!” Luz whisper-shouted, “You scared them!”

“So?” the witchling tried to act nonchalant, but she hadn’t meant to frighten them, and now Luz was mad at her, which only added to her guilt.

Luz’s gaze hardened. “Apologize.”

It didn’t take much convincing. She moved over to Luz and crouched down. Peering into the fanny pack, she saw all 3 frogs huddled together in a corner. With a sigh, she spoke, “I’m sorry, frogs.”

The Xylophrogs sat silently, until the green one gave another croak.

“Wow, she really does like you, Amity!” Luz joked. “See? Look at us, being forest people. Embracing nature. Well, you to a lesser extent--” Amity glared at her, “--but still.” 

Looking out the window, Amity noticed the position of the sun -- they probably had an hour before sundown. “So, what are we having for dinner?”

Luz’s eyes lit up. “Whatever Mother Nature puts on our plate.” She grabbed Amity’s wrist and moved to the front door, “Come on!”

**Author's Note:**

> just a heads up, next chapter has a very sudden start, so you may wanna re-read the least paragraph on this chapter before you move on; update in like 2-ish days i think? see u then :)
> 
> OH also i made an edit of the 'bad girl coven' shirt to say 'bad bitch coven' lol so its on my redbubble if u thinks thats funny (its on stickers n stuff too) :P


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